Firebird
by lulunabo
Summary: :Currently Disc. Please read profile: YAOI WARNING: Narusasu; thanks to friend Chibs
1. The Strangers

Synopsis: Naruto has a sister and the Uchiha Massacre never happened. Yet danger still lurks about, and strangers who look like older versions of Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura appear.

Rating: M in the future

Pairings and Warnings: This will be Narusasu (both younger and older versions), so no, neither Sasukes or Narutos will end up with anyone else, even if younger Naruto and Sasuke are entirely clueless. So yaoi warning too.

* * *

Her parents named her 'Natsuko' so nobody would confuse her and her brother's names. They were twins, Naruto born seconds before her. They looked fairly similar, both of them with whisker marks, both blond and blue eyed, but Naruto held the Kyuubi within him, while Natsuko gained healing abilities. When they were young, the two of them could almost be confused for each other, but as they grew up, Natsuko grew to be a lovely young woman. Naruto had yet to grow fully, but Natsuko thought he would be quite tall and muscular.

Naruto chose to be a nin, as their parents had been. He knew of the attempted Uchiha massacre that some of the elders had planned, and vowed he would never allow such a thing when he was Hokage. Most people scoffed at such ideas.

Many people shunned Naruto because of the Kyuubi within him, but viewed Natsuko as an angel. She hated it, and went out of her way to avoid such people. Some people acted kind to both of them, like Iruka, but some of the opinions of the parents rubbed off onto the children. A lot of the children avoided Naruto when they could.

Natsuko knew that they weren't the brightest bunch, but what they lacked in knowledge, they gained through perseverance. Of course, having kind people like Uchiha Mikoto helped matter. But as for the other Uchihas…

Still, Natsuko always thought of Mikoto's sons as 'weird.' Itachi had been forced to spy on his family, but had exposed what the elders wished to do to the unhappy clan. This incident led to several changes in Konoha, one of which gave the Uchiha a bit more power so they didn't feel persecuted.

After this, Itachi quit being a nin, to the shock of most and dismay of some. He became, instead, a restaurant owner. His father didn't approve until Itachi proved that he had a different talent. He was a great businessman, and a lot of restaurants that pissed him off went under later.

As for Sasuke, he chose to become a nin in order to make sure that nobody else tried anything with his family. Natsuko thought that perhaps Sasuke had some power issues, but she didn't voice them, mostly for her brother's sake.

And Natsuko…she chose to work for Itachi. He was one of few that treated Naruto like a normal person.

Natsuko was proud of her brother. True, he had problems learning, but he never gave up. Despite people putting him down, he always showed them a smile. He loved to prank people, and Natsuko only admitted to helping him a few times. And he had a good heart.

The only real problem lay with Sasuke.

She liked him. Really she did. They would often talk. But when Naruto and Sasuke were together, the two pushed each other to the limit. In some ways, she thought this a good thing. The problem came when she had a sinking suspicion that Naruto loved Sasuke.

It wasn't that she wouldn't approve of Sasuke. She just didn't know if Sasuke could love Naruto. He never really indicated any preference for male or females, and really only reacted to the Uzumaki twins and his family.

But Natsuko hoped that he would love Naruto. She knew that they fought a lot, but cared for each other greatly.

Still, she was fairly happy with her life at the moment.

Yet everything changed the day she found two people unconscious, one that looked remarkably like Sasuke, and the other like Sakura.


	2. Hokage's Orders

The sensation of waking up felt more like clawing out of a hole. At least, that's how Sasuke described it. The next thing he noticed were the bonds. Somehow, this didn't come as a surprise, but he didn't have to like the situation.

"So, you're awake," came a cheerful voice. Given his knowledge of the whole circumstances, he recognized the voice, but also could hear the changes.

"Kakashi," he said. His throat felt dry, as if he hadn't drunk for quite a while, and some of his bruises throbbed. He looked around, noticing that Sakura appeared somewhat awake, but that they were missing one of their teammates. He nearly cursed, but forced himself to look back at the other nin the room.

He activated his sharingan, and winced at the sudden drain in his chakra.

Kakashi studied him, not indicating any sign of surprise. Still, after a moment, he said, "How odd, to find someone so similar in appearance to Sasuke…"

At that moment, the Hokage stepped in.

* * *

"…And they looked so much like Sasuke and Sakura!" finished Natsuko, nearly dropping a glass.

Team 7 sat at the counter, finishing their respective shakes. They always visited after training, though Kakashi was missing.

"Maybe they eloped!" Sakura chimed in, giving Sasuke a quick glance. The receiver of said glance ignored this entirely.

Naruto was chewing at his straw, eyes furrowed. It just figured he'd somehow be left out of things!

Kisame chuckled at the group, finishing to clean the glass Natsuko had nearly shattered. It was always fun to watch the kids interact, especially trying to guess how each would respond.

"It almost feels like I know them," Natsuko said.

"You always think that," replied Sasuke. Natsuko flushed.

"That's true, poppet," Kisame said. "You read people very well."

"But that's not what I mean!" The girl shook her head. "It's…different…"

"I hate to interrupt," said Kakashi, suddenly appearing behind his team, and causing Naruto and Saskura to jump a bit. "But we've been all called to see the Hokage. And she demands that you and Itachi also come, Kisame. And you as well, Natsuko."

Kisame's eyebrows shot up. Since he and Itachi had retired from being nin, the Hokage rarely called for them. Most of the time, she tried to half-heartedly bribe them into returning. Other times, she wanted information on the many clients that came through their domain.

And Natsuko…well, she wasn't a fighter…

He had a feeling that things were going to be quite interesting…

* * *

Sasuke thought he could handle it, but the moment he saw Itachi enter, he had to close his eyes. The Hokage had warned him. Here, in this world that seemed so like his own, the Uchiha massacre had never occurred.

It was easy to wish, just for a moment, that this was his life. But as a nin, he knew that such thoughts were foolish. He missed his family, and this he could not change. Yet he had something special, too.

His hand touched the ring that hung around his neck briefly. Sentimental, though it was, it helped ground him. No, not everything was happy in his life, but nor was it entirely black. He opened his eyes.

"Wow," said the smaller Naruto at last. "You guys really do kinda look like Sasuke and Sakura."

"I said that, didn't I?" replied Natsuko.

"Don't even start with the chattering," Tsunade said. "We have very serious business here."

Sasuke noticed the way that the young Naruto's and his alter's eyes seemed to shine just a little more. He could read them quite easily, and knew that they were excited at any prospect of a special mission. Anything to show off their talents…

"This isn't a matter to be taken lightly," snapped Tsunade, who apparently could read them just as well.

"Your lives are in danger," he finally said. The three juniors stared at him wide-eyed. What, did they think him mute?

"There is a jutsu legend," began Tsunade, "and it says that there were several jutsu were so powerful that nobody dared to write them down. They were either taught by word of mouth, learned by accident, and some said that a few were granted their knowledge as gifts from a higher power. One such jutsu was the ability to tear through the very fabric of reality…"

"You really are Sasuke and Sakura!" exclaimed the younger Sakura with delight.

Tsunade slammed her palm down on the table.

"This is not to be taken lightly, Sakura! They're not here to play games!"

"So why are they here?" asked the younger Naruto, oddly shrewd.

"Would you believe it's the usual fight of good versus evil?" asked the older Sakura. "We're tracking down someone who wants to cause great harm to various worlds. He's come here, and we're worried that he'll try to disrupt any peace there is."

"And you want us to help?" asked Naruto, excitedly.

Sasuke suppressed a wince. He wasn't at all confident in these small kids' abilities, even if one of them was his smaller mirror image. Nonetheless, he had learned over time that help came in a variety of places. Plus, if what he understood were true, the holders of the tailed-beast were in danger…

"The different kages are aware of this ability to tear through realities, aren't they?" asked Itachi.

Tsunade sighed. "Yes, it is not something we broadcast, nor is it something I ever thought I'd witness. It's certainly not considered a good omen."

"Hey, hey! Is there an older me?" asked Naruto.

"Yes," said the older Sakura, with a smile.

"What's he like?!"

Sakura glanced at him, a smirk fluttering on her face momentarily. Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

"It's hard to explain. You'll have to wait and see. Right, Sasuke?"

He almost had the urge to tell her exactly what he thought of that idea. He noticed the look the younger Sakura was giving them. That girl had romance on her mind…

"It's going to get really confusing with the names," said Kisame.

"Then we'll use code names," he said, relieved to change the topic. "On missions, I go as Auron."

"Suki," said the elder Sakura.

"What about the older me?"

"Later," said Suki, before he could say a word.

"I'm giving Team 7 a new mission," said Tsunade. "Don't get so excited about it, because this is far more dangerous than I'd like. But you will help them any way you can. They are older, so if they give you an order, then you follow it. Itachi, Kisame…will you two please allow Team 7 and…errr…the other Team 7 to stay at your place?"

Itachi sighed, but didn't say no.

* * *

Notes: Kisame does not look like a fish in this, but does look human. His 'fish' form is more of a disguise.


	3. Revelations

Itachi might have chosen to leave the life of a nin, but the nin never truly left Itachi. It could be frustrating at times, such as in the middle of the night and he woke up for no good reason, but it remained a part of him. So the moment that Auron slipped into his room, he had already slid a knife into his hand.

Of course, given the fact that the other individual was a nin, Itachi believed he wouldn't be too surprised at the reaction.

"I had a feeling you'd come here," said Itachi.

A small smile appeared on Auron's face. The act surprised Itachi a little. His own little brother seemed to have become so distant lately, especially after finding out how certain members of Konoha had wanted to kill the Uchiha, and receiving Orochimaru's curse mark.

"It's odd to think that here, the Uchiha still live."

"It's odd to think that you had to live alone."

Auron nodded, looking around. "You and Kisame?"

"For a short time, he and I worked together as nin for several missions."

"Kisame was a Konoha nin?"

"No, but we worked together on overlapping missions. After my choice to leave once the threat to my family was exposed, Kisame decided to leave as well. I can't say I regret his choice."

"He looks…different…"

Itachi raised an eyebrow. "The fish look? Disguise."

Auron sat for a moment, digesting this information. It made him wonder if his own brother had any sort of relationship whatsoever.

"Your family…" Itachi prompted.

"Is dead. All of them, including my brother." Auron sighed. "I was a fool, after the massacre. My brother was actually a spy for Konoha. I found out only later that he never actually killed the family. Blackmail. My brother had no real way to let me know the truth. Then Orochimaru gave me the cursed seal, and it warped my thinking. I left Konoha, seeking revenge."

Auron closed his eyes, and shook his head. "I nearly killed Naruto. I can only say that a part of me knew not to kill him, but the pain I caused him…"

He shook his head again. "Given the power that Orochimaru showed me, Konoha considered me a prime enemy, and with good cause. The longer I had the seal, the longer the darkness filled my heart. Eventually, I was captured, and they tried to wipe my memory. I regained it, because of Naruto, and since then, we've been on missions together."

Itachi highly doubted it was so simple, but figured that he wouldn't get much more detail, nor was it his place to pry. He was surprised at the amount of information given to him already. It was unusual for him to trust, and yet despite what had been revealed, he did trust this man.

"Sasuke has been given the cursed seal here, as well," said Itachi. "What you said worries me."

Auron nodded his head. For several seconds they didn't speak.

Itachi had to wonder for just a moment. Given the information that was just given to them by the Hokage herself, if a tear in reality could be created, what was to say that the alternates of that world were on their side, so to speak? What if all this was just some story they made up that was later used to take over this world? On the other hand, if what they said was true, the pain of being here, to see this world that never was…

Vaguely, Itachi wondered if he needed a vacation.

"I don't really mind that much if you look around," Itachi said carefully. "Except that I want you to stay out of mine and Kisame's bedroom."

Auron nodded his head, then silently disappeared.

* * *

Naruto stared out the window, oddly quiet. The evening had been odd, with Sakura bombarding Suki with questions, and giving Auron what she thought were sly looks.

He liked Sakura, in a way. She was smart, she was a good fighter, when she actually put the effort into it instead of getting distracted by Sasuke, and he really thought she could be a good friend if she stopped getting distracted by Sasuke.

Naruto sighed. Good luck with that.

"Are you okay, big brother?" asked Natsuko.

He smiled. Sometimes, it hurt him to look at her, especially when he was thinking of Sasuke. Of the few people that Sasuke talked to, and even sometimes smiled to, Natsuko was one of few. It made him think that soon, he'd be seeing the two holding hands…

It made him feel very alone.

"Yeah, of course I am! I'm thinking about ramen!" he said. It was a joke to most about how much ramen Naruto ate, and he did like ramen. What most didn't know was that sometimes, that was all that he could afford. Sometimes, he couldn't even afford that for himself, and he would quietly ask Itachi for food, promising to pay him back, and begging him not to tell anyone, especially Natsuko.

One day, he'd be the best…

Natsuko smiled. She wasn't entirely clueless of her brother's antics, despite her sometimes playing along. He kept so much to himself, and gave the world a smile…why couldn't the world notice?

Why didn't Sasuke?

"I think we're not getting ramen tonight," she said. "I saw Kisame in the kitchen, and he looked like he was making stir fry."

Naruto pouted. "No ramen! What are we gonna do?"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "The world doesn't revolve around ramen, Naruto!"

"Sure, it does!" the twins chorused together, earning the pair several scowls.

Suki couldn't hide her mirth at the exchange.

"You just find it amusing because you're not a part of it," said Auron, glaring at her.

"It's funnier, because I was a part of it, once. Sort of. Remember?"

Auron's answer was to continue to glare at her. Despite the fact that many found his glare terrifying, Suki learned to just shrug off his glares, not taking them seriously anymore.

"Dinner's served," came the interruption from Kisame, carrying a huge container of stir fry.

Auron felt restless, and not merely because of the new environment. Something was going to happen.

He slipped out of bed, entirely ignoring who was on guard, and exited the house.

Shadows…there were shadows that weren't supposed to be there…

"We're under attack," he said, because he knew somebody was on guard. "Wake up the others."

He slipped out a kunai, cursing the fact that he had allowed himself a moment's comfort, when he should know better.

The shadows seemed to dance, then jump down to ground level, growing closer.

"What are they?" asked a half asleep, half terrified Sakura.

"Shades," he said.

The Shades attacked, eerily silent. The moment one was taken down, another seemed to pop into its place. Limbs could be detached, but only if given a fatal blow, would the creatures disappear. They did not bleed, but they felt solid, and could do a lot of damage.

Auron silently cursed. The kids were nins, but they hadn't been in as many battles yet. Sakura tripped and fell, and a Shade took the opportunity to finish her.

A figure leapt down, a blade cutting the Shade in half. Elegantly, the fighter turned, the blade swinging through two others. The Shades backed away, feeling the power of this person.

The fighter wore a sleeveless, black tunic and simple pants that contained several pockets. At his side was a large belt, with numerous pouches, and the sheath for the sword he carried. He was a head taller than Sasuke, and his muscles a little more prominent, though not obscenely so.

"Sorry, I'm late," he said, the smooth, deep voice breaking the silence of the fight.

"You should be," said Auron softly, "Naruto."

And without further words, the elder Naruto leaned down and kissed Auron.


	4. Shadows

Sakura's jaw dropped at the display in front of her. It wasn't really possible that the elder Naruto and Sasuke…but her eyes told her otherwise.

"Baka!" snapped a blushing Auron, "not in the middle of a fight!"

And he did sound angry, and yet a smile seemed to dance across his features. Sakura's brain attempted to digest this new information, parts of it rebelling, the other half analyzing, but no part really paying attention. The cry of "Sakura" slapped her like a bucket of water, and then someone pushed her to the side. She stumbled, but managed to avoid falling.

Naruto, her Naruto, continued to move, but couldn't avoid the claws that caught his arm. He winced as the claws tightened, attempting to capture him, but a blur caused him to stumble back. The creature keened as it's claw was severed by a metal fan. Suki kicked the creature to get it farther away.

"Pay attention!" snapped Suki, her twin metal fans cutting through another Shade.

Sakura's eyes once more turned to look at the elder Naruto and Auron. The two seemed to dance around each other, Naruto's sword humming through the air as Auron whirled twin chakrams around as skillfully as Suki handled her fans.

Then, as quick as a breath, they stood alone.

"What just happened?" asked Sasuke.

Sakura tore her eyes away and grabbed Naruto's arm, forcing the wounds to heal faster.

"You…you shouldn't've done that…" she stammered, unable to look any more at the elder pair now that they no longer fought.

"It was extremely foolish," agreed Suki. "Brave, but foolish. Reminds me of someone I know…"

"You mean me?" asked the elder Naruto, sheathing his blade. "Am I really?"

Suki and Auron both glanced at him. He shrugged in response.

"As interesting as this all is," said Itachi, "can we perhaps step inside now that Naruto won't bleed all over the carpets? We can then discuss everything inside."

Shakily, the younger Naruto entered the complex. Kisame held a knife in one hand while Natsuko peeked around him. She cried out when she saw her injured brother and rushed to his side.

"It's okay," said Naruto. "Sakura and Suki healed most of it."

"This is Naruto's twin here," said Suki to the elder Naruto. "Her name's Natsuko. She seems to have the ability to heal, though Naruto carries Kyuubi here."

"Sit," Itachi told the younger Naruto, shooing Natusko to a different seat. "Kisame, get something ready and water. We need to replenish his energy."

"Of course," said Kisame, with a small bow.

"We're going by our code names here," said Auron. "It'll get too confusing otherwise."

"I go by Kurama," said the elder Naruto. "It is the true name of the Kyuubi."

Naruto looked surprised, then his eyes unfocused. Sakura wondered if he were talking with his own Kyuubi to verify this. All these bits of information seemed like a lot in a short amount of time, and she sat down heavily beside Naruto. Shortly after, Sasuke sat down on Naruto's other side before Natsuko could get there. The girl pouted, but sat down beside Sasuke.

"Thanks," said Sakura, looking at Naruto's injured arm.

"Your welcome," said Naruto.

They looked up at the others. Suki sat on a chair by herself, her legs dangling over the side of the chair, and her arms crossed. Kurama and Auron sat beside each other, close, but not quite touching. Quietly, they waited until Kisame came in with a tray, a bowl of ramen, and some milk.

"I believe we've been kept in the dark long enough," said Kakashi. "Will you now tell us what you know about our enemy?"

Kurama sighed. "If only we knew everything. We call it 'Shadow,' and nobody is quite sure if its male or female. When it speaks, its voice seems to come out like numerous voices woven together. It's a bit creepy."

Suki snorted. "A bit? Try a lot."

"As far as information we've managed to gather," continued Auron, "this thing has been disguised as a lower level nin for a number of our enemies. Orochimaru, Danzo…it's unclear how many he's followed, or how much information he's managed to learn under the different leaders."

"Its strong," said Kurama. "It clearly must have been waiting, watching as each of our enemies fell, and learning what it could. After attacking several villages, we went after it. The only problem is, we think that's what it wanted."

"What do you mean?" asked Kisame.

"We trailed after it, following its path of destruction and attempting to learn from the pieces it left behind," said Suki. "When we caught up to it, it ripped the fabric of reality…"

"And you got here."

"And we got here," said Kurama. "And even with what we know, we don't know enough. We don't know what it really is, or how much power it has."

"What are the Shades?" asked Kakashi.

"We think they're the twisted spirits of fallen beings," said Kurama.

"You mean we've been killing people?!" yelled Naruto.

"No," said Kurama. "At least we hope that's not the case."

"We captured one of them, once" said Sakura. "It didn't seem human at all."

"Those creatures didn't seem willing to listen, earlier," said Kakashi.

Naruto looked at his arm, rubbing the claw marks.

"Then we don't know what we're up against," said Kisame.

Kakashi cursed under his breath.

"Are you two really together?" Sakura finally burst out when nobody said anything else.

"Now that I know the answer to," said Kurama.

* * *

Sasuke couldn't sleep. In his mind, he kept seeing the battle. He imagined fighting people he knew in the shapes of these Shades, and then saw Naruto being attacked. He imagined Naruto becoming a Shade, and they would fight.

He hadn't been able to do anything.

And he thought about this other self, and Kurama…

Like a wheel, his mind turned again to the image of the Shades…Naruto a Shade…

He had to become stronger!

Quietly, he slipped out of the window and made his way over the rooftops. The Cursed Mark seemed to burn on his neck, urging him forward.

At first, he didn't pay attention, but as he progressed, he realized that someone was following him. He skidded to a halt and turned.

"What do you think you're doing?" said Naruto. His Naruto. Sasuke's eyes studied the bandages on Naruto's arm.

"I'm going to Orochimaru."

"Are you out of your mind?" yelled Naruto, making no attempt to mask their presence. Sasuke winced, but glared.

"I'm not strong enough!" he snapped. He turned and began to move away, but was caught off guard at how fast Naruto leapt at him. They both tumbled to the ground, and immediately began to fight.

"I won't let you go to that bastad, you hear me? You're not going to Orochimaru!"

"You can't stop me, Naruto! Damnit, stop hitting me!"

"I'm knocking some sense into your stupid, genius mind!"

Sasuke scrambled away and began to move again, but a cry of "Sasuke," not of anger, but of terror, made him turn.

Black tendrils were wrapped around Naruto from the waist down. Naruto tried to pull himself away, his large, blue eyes on Sasuke. Without another thought, Sasuke raced back, kunai flying through the air. They hit the tendrils, but, like shadows, the tendrils weren't affected. He grabbed Naruto's hands, and pulled.

"Lemme go!" yelled Naruto, but with a yank, Naruto was pulled fully into the darkness. Sasuke leapt onto the spot, but nothing happened as it grew smaller, and became his own shadow.

Sasuke was once again alone…

* * *

TBC


End file.
